ICoBC Accredited Partner

Accreditation for consultants who prepare clients for the Seal.

This is a candidate guide for a work-based validation. It does not teach the Maturity Check from the beginning. You have already done that in ICB-R03 and ICB-R04. This guide tells you what evidence to collect from live work, how to structure your portfolio, how attestation works and how to prepare for the professional discussion with the accreditation panel.

Who it is for. ICoBC Accredited Partners (N3) who prepare clients for the ICoBC Global Quality Seal and who want to be accredited at Competency stage.

Framework alignment. ICoBC Credentialing Skills Framework (ICSF), skill QUAL "Quality assurance and accreditation" (VRITE pillar: Rigor), level L3 "Enable", stage C "Competency". At this level the skill is: runs self-assessment against a quality framework; prepares for external review; implements improvements. Stage C means applying the capability in a real context, usually work, with the responsibility of the stated level, over time and with observable effect.

Learning outcomes. When you have completed the validation, you can:

1. Show one supervised Maturity Check completed with a client to standard.
2. Show that readiness work stayed within the partner role.
3. Show correct use of ICoBC tools.

Workload. About 15 hours of candidate preparation and assessment. This includes reading this guide, preparing evidence, the supervised engagement itself, portfolio work and the panel discussion.

How it is assessed. You complete one supervised Maturity Check with a client. The client gives feedback and your supervisor writes a report. Your portfolio and a professional discussion go to the accreditation panel, which makes the decision.

Badge. "ICoBC Accredited Partner (Competency, L3)", alignment code ICSF-QUAL-L3-C. Badge evidence: supervisor report, client feedback and panel decision. The badge is valid for 3 years.

Prerequisites. ICB-R03 Accredited Partner Programme: Running the Maturity Check and ICB-R04 Independence and Conflicts of Interest in the Quality Network.

Status note. The ICoBC VRITE criteria and the Global Quality Seal are [Emerging]. Indicators are not yet published, internal documents use different expansions of the acronym, and pilots are ongoing. Status as of November 2026; check before publishing. In your evidence, refer to the criteria and tools in the version your supervisor gives you, and note the version. Do not state indicators that ICoBC has not published.

The badge records that a panel judged your evidence from one supervised engagement. Completing this guide does not by itself prove competency in a job.

Supervised engagement guidance

This module covers outcome 1: show one supervised Maturity Check completed with a client to standard. You will learn how to choose and agree the engagement, how supervision works, what evidence to collect from live work and how to structure the portfolio.

Choosing and agreeing the engagement

The validation rests on one real Maturity Check with one real client. Choose a client where you can do the full process: agree scope, run the self-assessment against the quality framework, prepare the client for external review and help the client implement improvements. These steps match the L3 skill "Enable".

Before you start, agree four things in writing with the client and your supervisor.

1. Scope. Which part of the client's credentialing work is in the Maturity Check, and which part is out.
2. Roles. What you do as partner, what the client does and what your supervisor does.
3. Consent. The client agrees that your supervisor will see working documents, that the client will give feedback on your work and that anonymised extracts may go to the panel.
4. Timeline. The dates of the main steps, so the effect of the work can be observed over time.

Stage C asks for "observable effect". A single afternoon of work rarely shows that. Plan the engagement so that at least one improvement is agreed, started and reviewed during the period. The length is set by your supervisor and the programme rules you were given.

Pick a client of a size you can handle alone. A small education provider, a training department in a company or a professional association are all suitable. Record the client type in your portfolio, not the commercial details.

How supervision works

Your supervisor is an experienced ICoBC partner or ICoBC staff member who observes your work and writes the supervisor report. The supervisor does not do the work for you.

Expect three kinds of supervisor contact.

• Planning. Before you start, you present scope, roles and plan.
• Observation. The supervisor attends at least part of the live work, or reviews recordings or working documents with the client's consent.
• Review. After the engagement, you discuss what happened and what you would change.

Keep a short supervision log: date, topic, what the supervisor said and what you did next. The log shows that you acted on feedback, which is part of working "to standard".

Evidence from live work and the portfolio

The panel judges your portfolio, so structure it so that a reader who was not there can follow what happened. Use this order.

1. Cover sheet. Your name, partner number, client type (anonymised), supervisor, dates and the version of the ICoBC tools used.
2. Engagement agreement. Scope, roles, consent and timeline.
3. Maturity Check record. The completed self-assessment, with the client's own evidence references, your notes on gaps and the agreed ratings.
4. Readiness plan. The improvements agreed with the client, who owns each, and what was done by the end of the period.
5. Effect. What changed, shown by dated documents, revised procedures or client statements. Keep claims small and checkable.
6. Supervision log.
7. Role boundary log and conflict declaration (see the next module).
8. Tool use record (see the third module).
9. Reflection. One page on what went well, what you would change and what you learned.
10. Attestation statements.

Attestation is a signed statement by another person that your evidence is genuine. There are three attesters: you (a declaration that the work is yours and the portfolio is accurate), the client (confirming the engagement took place as described) and the supervisor (confirming what they observed). Attesters sign and date their statements. Do not write attestation statements for others to sign without changes. Each attester must be free to say what they saw.

Data protection. Remove or anonymise personal data and commercial details unless the client has agreed in writing that the panel may see them.

Worked example: Evidence of a Maturity Check completed to standard

Context (illustrative). Amara Okafor is an Accredited Partner. Her client is a mid-sized vocational training provider. Her supervisor is Lukas Meier.

Good evidence in her portfolio.

• An engagement agreement, signed by the provider's quality manager on 12 March, naming the scope as "assessment and certification processes" and excluding "marketing of courses".
• The completed Maturity Check record. For each area, a rating, a reference to a client document, and a one-line reason. Where the client had no document, the record says "no evidence seen" instead of leaving the cell empty.
• A readiness plan with six improvements. Two were completed within the period, each with a dated before and after version of the procedure.
• The supervisor report, which states that Lukas observed the closing meeting and two working sessions, and describes where Amara asked open questions and where she gave too much advice and corrected herself.
• The client feedback form, signed by the quality manager, with comments on clarity and timing.

Why it works. The reader can trace each rating to a source, sees an effect with dates and can read independent views from the client and the supervisor. The portfolio also shows a small weakness and its correction, which makes it credible.

Practice activity: Build your portfolio skeleton

1. Create a folder or document with the ten sections above as headings.
2. Under each heading, write one line saying what you will put there and when it will be available.
3. Mark three items you are worried about, for example the client feedback or a record of the effect.
4. Agree with your supervisor how you will close each of the three gaps.
5. Add the dates of the supervised sessions to the timeline.

Time: about 45 minutes. Keep this skeleton and update it after each session.

Self-check: Supervised engagement guidance

Partner code of conduct

This module covers outcome 2: show that readiness work stayed within the partner role. It explains the role boundaries, how to record them and how to deal with conflicts of interest.

The partner role and its boundaries

An Accredited Partner prepares clients for external review. The partner helps the client understand the framework, assess itself, plan improvements and collect its own evidence. The partner does not act as the reviewer, does not decide the outcome and does not do the client's work in a way that hides the client's real position.

Think of the role as three zones.

• Inside the role. Explaining criteria and tools, asking questions, structuring the self-assessment, suggesting options for improvement, training client staff, reviewing drafts and giving feedback.
• At the edge. Writing a first draft of a procedure as a template for the client to adapt, or helping to choose evidence. Do this only if the client owns the result, adapts it and understands it.
• Outside the role. Promising or implying that the client will receive the Seal, influencing or contacting the reviewers about this client, altering or inventing client evidence, taking a fee linked to the outcome, and carrying out the external review of a client you advised.

The rules of independence and conflicts of interest come from ICB-R04 and the partner terms you accepted. Where this guide and those documents differ, the documents apply.

Because the Seal and the VRITE criteria are [Emerging], you may not know how a pilot review will rate your client. Say so. A statement such as "I cannot predict the review outcome" is correct and builds trust with the client.

Recording boundaries and conflicts

The panel cannot see what happened in your meetings. You show it with two records.

Conflict declaration. Written before the engagement. It lists any relationship with the client or with its competitors, any earlier paid work, any link to a reviewer and how you will manage it. If there is nothing to declare, say so and confirm that you checked. The supervisor reviews it.

Role boundary log. A short table kept during the engagement. For each moment where the boundary was tested, record the date, the situation, what was asked, what you did and why. Include moments that went well and moments you corrected.

Entries should be short and honest. A log with no entries at all is not convincing, because most engagements contain at least a few boundary moments. A log in which you always did the right thing without any doubt may also raise questions in the professional discussion.

Showing the boundary in the professional discussion

The panel will ask about your role boundary log. Prepare short, concrete answers. Use the pattern: situation, what the client wanted, what you did, which rule applied, what the client then did.

Typical questions include these.

• Where did you come closest to doing the client's work?
• How did you handle a request for a guarantee?
• What would you do if you learned that a reviewer was a friend?
• How did you separate your advice from the decision of the client?

Do not recite rules. Describe the situation and your reasoning. If you made a mistake, say what you noticed, when and what you changed.

Worked example: A role boundary log entry the panel can trust

Context (illustrative). Amara Okafor advises a professional association that wants to use the Global Quality Seal in its member communication.

Log entry.

Why it works. Each entry names a real moment, a concrete action and a reason. The second entry sits at the edge of the role and shows the safeguard: the client wrote and owns the content. The supervisor can confirm both entries from observation.

Practice activity: Draft your conflict declaration and first log entries

1. Write your conflict declaration. List any contacts, earlier paid work, memberships or personal links with the client, its competitors or any known reviewer. If none, state that you checked and how.
2. Share it with your supervisor and note their comments.
3. Create the role boundary log table and enter the first two moments from the planning stage.
4. Write answers to the four typical panel questions above, three or four sentences each.
5. Read your answers aloud. Cut anything that sounds like a recited rule.

Time: about 60 minutes.

Self-check: Partner code of conduct

Accreditation panel

This module covers outcome 3: show correct use of ICoBC tools. It also explains how the panel works and how to prepare for the professional discussion.

Using ICoBC tools correctly

ICoBC gives partners tools for the Maturity Check, for recording evidence and for reporting. You will use the versions your supervisor issues for this validation.

Correct use means five things.

1. Right version. Use the issued version and record it on the cover sheet. Do not mix versions within one engagement.
2. Complete use. Fill every field. Where there is no evidence, say so. Do not leave blanks.
3. Faithful use. Do not change the structure, the rating scale or the wording of the criteria. If a tool does not fit the case, note this in the log and tell your supervisor.
4. Client ownership. The client's self-assessment records the client's own view. Your notes are marked as yours.
5. Safe handling. Store client documents securely, share only what the client agreed and remove personal data from what goes to the panel.

Because the VRITE criteria and the Seal are [Emerging], some tools may be pilot versions. Pilot tools can change. State in the portfolio which version you used and whether it was a pilot version. Do not describe indicators that ICoBC has not published, and do not present internal expansions of the acronym as official.

Create a tool use record: a one-page table listing each tool, version, purpose, date used and any deviation with its reason.

How the panel works

The accreditation panel decides whether to award the badge. It receives your portfolio, the supervisor report and the client feedback. It then holds a professional discussion with you.

The panel looks for four things across the evidence.

• Sufficiency. Is there enough evidence from live work?
• Authenticity. Is it your work, confirmed by attestation?
• Currency. Is it recent enough to reflect how you work now?
• Consistency. Do the portfolio, the supervisor report and the client feedback tell the same story?

The decision is recorded in writing. The panel may award the badge, ask for more evidence on a specific point or decline. If more evidence is requested, the panel states what is missing and the deadline.

Preparing for the professional discussion

The professional discussion is a structured conversation with the panel. It lets the panel test what the documents show. It is not a repeat of the portfolio and it is not a knowledge test of the whole framework.

Prepare in four steps.

1. Re-read your portfolio as if you were a panel member. Mark places where a reader might ask "how do you know?".
2. Prepare three stories. One about the Maturity Check to standard, one about a role boundary and one about tool use. Each story follows: situation, task, what you did, result, what you would change.
3. Prepare for gaps. Know what is missing from the portfolio and be ready to say so plainly.
4. Practise aloud with a colleague or your supervisor. Keep answers under two minutes.

On the day, answer the question asked, refer to your documents by section, and say "I do not know" or "that is not covered by my evidence" when that is true. Do not invent details. State that the Seal and VRITE criteria are Emerging when a question touches on them and avoid claims beyond the material you were issued.

After the discussion, the panel records its decision. You receive it in writing. Keep the supervisor report, the client feedback and the panel decision, because they are the badge evidence. The badge is valid for 3 years.

Worked example: A tool use record and a panel-ready answer

Context (illustrative). Amara Okafor used the Maturity Check template issued for the pilot. She noticed that one rating field did not fit the association's structure.

Tool use record entry.

Panel question. "Did you adapt the tool?"

Good answer. "No. I used the issued pilot version and did not change any scale or wording. In one area the structure did not match the association, so I wrote a note in the log and told my supervisor on 14 March. The rating stayed within the tool. The record is in section 8 of my portfolio."

Why it works. The answer is short, points to the document, names the version and shows both fidelity to the tool and honest reporting of a mismatch.

Practice activity: Rehearse the professional discussion

1. Complete your tool use record.
2. Write your three stories on one page each, using the five-part pattern.
3. Ask your supervisor or a colleague to play a panel member and ask six questions: two on the Maturity Check, two on the role boundary, two on tools.
4. Record your answers or ask for notes. Find one answer that was too long and one that lacked a document reference. Redo them.
5. List the three gaps in your portfolio and write one sentence on each that you could say honestly.

Time: about 90 minutes.

Self-check: Accreditation panel

Assessment and badge

The task

Your assessment is one supervised Maturity Check completed with a client, supported by a portfolio and a professional discussion with the accreditation panel. The assessment follows the evidence path described in this guide.

1. Complete the engagement agreement, conflict declaration and timeline with your client and supervisor.
2. Run the Maturity Check, prepare the client for external review and support at least one implemented improvement.
3. Collect the evidence in the portfolio structure given in the first module.
4. Obtain the client feedback and the supervisor report.
5. Sign your own attestation and collect the others.
6. Submit the portfolio to the panel and attend the professional discussion.
7. Receive the panel decision in writing.

Assessment criteria

Pass rule

The panel awards the badge when all criteria are met. A criterion that is not met on first review may be resubmitted with additional evidence as the panel directs. A decision of "not awarded" is recorded in writing with reasons.

Evidence submitted for the badge

• Supervisor report
• Client feedback
• Panel decision

The badge is "ICoBC Accredited Partner (Competency, L3)", alignment code ICSF-QUAL-L3-C. It is valid for 3 years. Completing this guide and receiving the badge records a panel judgement on the evidence from one supervised engagement. It does not by itself prove competency in any particular job.

Final knowledge check

Use this check to test your readiness before you submit the portfolio. It does not replace the panel decision.

Sources and further reading

Status as of November 2026; check before publishing.

• ICoBC, International Council on Badges and Credentials, Berlin: ICoBC Credentialing Skills Framework (ICSF), the framework to which this badge is aligned. Use the version issued by ICoBC.
• ICoBC course ICB-R03 Accredited Partner Programme: Running the Maturity Check. Prerequisite course in the ICoBC Kursbibliothek.
• ICoBC course ICB-R04 Independence and Conflicts of Interest in the Quality Network. Prerequisite course in the ICoBC Kursbibliothek.
• ICoBC partner terms, code of conduct and supervision rules as issued to Accredited Partners.
• ICoBC VRITE criteria and Global Quality Seal: status Emerging. Indicators are not yet published, internal documents use different expansions of the acronym and pilots are ongoing. Check with ICoBC for the current position before relying on any detail.
• LiaScript project documentation, for authors who maintain this file: the LiaScript documentation published by the LiaScript project.